Getting stuck in traffic is not only a major annoyance it can kill you. Being in heavy traffic triples the risk of having a heart attack, according to a German study. A small percentage of the study's participants, all of whom had suffered a heart attack, had been stuck in traffic within an hour of their attack. "One potential factor could be the exhaust and air pollution coming from other cars," says Dr. Annette Peters, who headed the study. "But we can't exclude the synergy between stress and air pollution that could tip the balance." Surprisingly, exposure to heavy traffic seemed to be five times more dangerous for women than men.